Hungarian violinist Geza de Kresz made his debut in Vienna
in 1906, was concertmaster 1907-9 of the Vienna Tonkünstler
Orchestra, and appeared as soloist with many European orchestras.
In Bucharest 1909-15 he taught at the State Cons, was concertmaster
of the Bucharest SO, and led the Carmen Sylva String Quartet,
at the royal court of Rumania. He went to Berlin in 1915 and
was concertmaster 1917-21 of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
and a teacher 1919-23 at the Stern Cons. In 1918 he married
the pianist Norah Drewett, with whom he gave duo-recitals after
they moved - at the prompting of Boris Hambourg - to Toronto
in 1923. The duo's first Canadian recital was in Massey Hall
30 Oct 1923; they toured Canada and continued to perform as
a duo until 1951. De Kresz taught at the Hambourg Conservatory
and played first violin in the Hart House String Quartet (until
1935). He appeared as soloist with the New SO and the TSO, was
a member 1924-5 of the Hambourg Trio, and founded and conducted
1930-4 the Little Symphony, a chamber orchestra. He spent many
summers in Europe teaching at the University of Vienna and at
the Mozarteum in Salzburg and performing. He remained in Budapest
1935-47, teaching at the Liszt Academy of Music and the National
Cons. As director of the latter 1941-7 he instituted one of
the first high school curricula in Hungary to combine musical
training with academic subjects. After World War II he adjudicated
at several international competitions. In 1947 de Kresz and
his wife returned to Toronto, where he taught at the RCMT, conducted
courses in violin pedagogy, and, until 1955, continued to perform.
A recital given in Toronto in May 1955 was recorded on a private
label.

Ettore Mazzoleni said of him, 'Here was a musician of vital temperament, full of zest for life, and completely selfless where music, and those he admired, were concerned' (RCMT Monthly Bulletin, Nov-Dec 1959). Harry Adaskin, in A Fiddler's World, wrote that de Kresz had 'a good steady bow arm so that slow movements were beautifully played, very intellectually musical, and with a confident stage manner,' but added 'his most serious drawback was rhythmical unsteadiness and, since he had perfect pitch, he tended to sound out of tune'. A respected teacher, de Kresz included among his pupils Murray Adaskin, Arthur Garami, Flora Matheson Goulden, Betty-Jean Hagen, Clayton Hare, Adolf Koldofsky, Kayla Mitzel, Maurice Solway, Irene Diehl Thorolfson, and Margaret Wilson. Dora de Pedery Hunt designed a medallion in 1969 to mark the inauguration of the Géza de Kresz Memorial Scholarship Fund.